1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
631 
EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS IN GRASS 
CULTURE. 
My field contained 16 acres of poor, rocky, brush 
pasture and upland swamp. On the northeast was an 
acre of flat bog, from which it rose to the south and 
northwest a hundred feet, giving a northeast exposure. 
The wet portion was gravel hardpan overlaid with 
two to four inches of muck. The rest of the field was 
dry, gravelly loam. The bushes were first removed, 
and then 16,000 tons of bowlders. The whole was 
then most thoroughly pulverized by plowing and har¬ 
rowing many times. A part of the wet land was 
underdrained ; that was a mistake. My proof is over 
six tons of first-crop hay each year without it, and 
less than five with it. My first seeding was four acres 
to Orchard grass, Timothy, Red-top and clover. This 
part stood seven years. All but the clover were well 
represented. The fourth year, Orchard grass only re¬ 
mained. Orchard grass is early, light weight, ripens 
in a day, and makes poor hay. 
The rest of 12 acres was seeded with Timothy, Red- 
top and clover, and stood five and six years. The 
clover thus far has been of no use, as the other kinds 
of grass predominate. Timothy and Red-top mature 
well together, making very fine, soft and sweet hay. 
The Red-top is about four days later, and the Timothy, 
being much the taller grass, forces the Red-top up 
for sunlight. The Red-top increases the weight of 
hay one-third. Fourteen quarts each of Timothy and 
recleaned Red-top seed should be sown on each acre 
in August or 
September, 
u pon clean, 
smooth, well- 
graded and fer- 
tilized soil. 
Clean the land 
annually of all 
foul stuff in 
October. After 
the grass is 
sown, no yard 
manures or 
other coarse 
substances 
should be used. 
They kill out 
the grass, and 
it cannot be re¬ 
placed until 
again reseeded. 
For five' years, 
I have tried to 
reseed vacant 
spots in m*y 
grass field, 
without secur¬ 
ing a spire of 
grass, even on 
spots two feet 
square. Rowen 
was left on two 
acres over 
winter, and 
spotted badly. 
The following 
July, the sod 
was turned, and 
the field reseeded in August; the young grass came 
up well. The next June the old grass had come back 
and killed all the young grass ; even the original spots 
were bare. 
The question has been, Can a grass crop be con¬ 
tinued indefinitely, especially on swampland, with the 
tools of 20 years ago ? I would say, no. But with the 
best machines of to-day, it is easy to subdue any sod, 
re-seed and secure a perfect new stand of young grass 
in three months. With a perfect stand, if each crop 
is well fed with bone, potash and nitrate of soda of 
the right proportion, and at the right time, continu¬ 
ously, large semi-annual crops can be obtained. This 
year’s first crop on my acre of flat swamp, cut July 1, 
was 10,400 pounds. The second crop, cut September 
2, yielded 5,760 pounds, i. e., over eight tons of well- 
dried hay. The crop this year was large, yet there 
were so many vacant spots on a part of the field, 
that on July 15, I commenced to break up 10 acres. 
Now, September 7, after 44 working days, the field is 
nicely graded and re-seeded. Not a foot of sod re¬ 
mains, either in or on the field. Horses have done it, 
and without the aid of a plow. With a new high- 
grade machine, one pair of horses can subdue an acre 
a day of the hardest kind of sod. I have used 640 
pounds of fertilizer to each acre, and 28 quarts of 
Timothy and Red-top seed, and 1 ought to secure 40 
tons of well-dried hay for the first crop next year If 
I do, the entire cost of fertilizer, with what I shall use 
in the spring, will be less than $4 per ton. That is 
fully up to previous cost. 
I wish to set forth the^, fact that moist lapd is best 
for grass. All land should be fully subdued and well 
graded. There is very little land so wet as to need 
underdraining. Use all the yard and coarse manures 
possible before seeding, after which use condensed 
fertilizers. Clean the land in October. Never allow 
the grass field to be pastured. Fertilize every crop. 
If the stand- of grass become imperfect from any 
cause, destroy it and re-seed it. If you maintain a 
perfect stand, six tons of hay per acre in the first 
crop, and half as much more in the second each year, 
are made easily. Greater perfection in cultivation 
can be obtained without the use of the plow. Thirty- 
two dollars will buy a complete outfit of tools with 
which to subdue, smooth, grade and perfect any field 
for re-seeding. With their use, the toughest sod can 
be destroyed in two months. geo. m. clark. 
Higganum, Conn. 
A FALLACY IN DAIRY TESTS AT FAIRS. 
TIIE CHURN VERSUS THE HARCOCK TEST. 
A most instructive object lesson was brought out in 
connection with the sweepstakes dairy-herd and in¬ 
dividual co%v test at the recent Bay State Fair at Wor¬ 
cester. Premiums were offered for the best and second 
best butter-producing cow, to be tested upon the 
grounds, the premium to be awarded to the cow pro¬ 
ducing the most butter in 24 hours by the churn 
test. The superintendent of the dairy department 
is a strong advocate of the Babcock test, and pre¬ 
ferred to judge the animals by that test, but the 
churn was finally adopted after considerable debate. 
For the instruction afforded the public, and as a 
partial check on the churn, samples of buttermilk 
were taken from each churning, and tested by the 
Babcock method. Much to the surprise of all in¬ 
terested, it was found that the percentage of butter- 
fat in the buttermilk, from the 10 cows entered in the 
individual test, varied from two-tenths to five per 
cent. So great were the losses of fat that the awards 
were really decided by the churn rather than the 
true butter capacity of the cows. In the case of one 
cow, that ranked sixth by the churn test, the loss of 
butter fat (3.4 per cent) was, with little doubt, 
sufficient to have given her either first or second place, 
had each cow been credited with the butter lost in 
the buttermilk. 
Unfortunately, no weights of buttermilk were taken, 
but it seems reasonable to assume that the weights of 
buttermilk would not have differed materially be¬ 
tween cows producing from one pound seven ounces 
to one pound ten ounces of butter in 24 hours, all of 
the cream having been separated by the same separa¬ 
tor. It may be justly held that these losses of fat are 
abnormal and unnecessary, but the conditions at fairs 
are not favorable for the most skillful manipulation 
of cream, and, while no doubt, had greater care been 
used in ripening and churning, the losses would have 
been much less; yet with the best of care, the losses 
will be greater than would occur in actual practice in 
the creamery or private dairy. 
The question which naturally arises is, Shall the 
cow be held accountable for the ^efficiency of the 
manipulator and the churn? Certainly the cow was 
not at fault for the poor ripening and churning done 
at Worcester. The proof is rapidly being established 
that no test, except one based on the amount of 
butter-fat actually contained in the milk, can do the 
cow full justice. This is simply another victory for 
the Babcock test. c. s. phelps. 
Storrs Agricultural College, Connecticut. 
HORSE SHOE FARM NOTES. 
In this locality oats always follow corn and potatoes. 
Hardly enough ground can be cleared of other crops 
for winter wheat, except it follow oats. If winter 
oats are to be sown from August 15 to September 15, 
where are we to sow them ? Early potatoes do not 
yield enough to be profitable, and corn would not be 
ripe. 
On page 567, it is stated that Mr. Condit salts his 
cows every night. Nine-tenths of the farmers of our 
State have no regular times for salting stock. Is it 
necessary ? I know of a herd that is giving a fair re¬ 
turn, that has not been salted in a year. With a 
heavy ration of corn meal and other grains, the dan¬ 
ger from indigestion, and impaction is much lessened; 
but with bran and ensilage, there would be no danger. 
When salt is given at irregular intervals, and in large 
quantities, it does more harm than good. The usual 
way is to sling around among the bunches of grass a 
peck or more, once a month, if not forgotten, during 
summer, and a handful each in the bottom of the 
manger, in 
winter. Salt in 
excessive quan¬ 
tities is a rank 
poison, and 
cows will, if fed 
that way, eat 
too much. Bet¬ 
ter not give any 
than in this 
way. 
Mr. Pierce’s 
way of cutting 
off stumps,page 
567, is a good 
one. I read the 
item “Three 30- 
inch stumps, 
which may be 
sawed off in an 
hour, by two 
men, will split 
up into about a 
cord,” to my 
“helpers,” and 
th ey smiled 
audibly. I like 
to take The R. 
N.-Y. each 
week and talk 
with them 
about the ideas 
and facts we 
find. When I 
find something 
with which 
they are famil¬ 
iar, treated as 
merely a bit of “recreation,” it destroys their faith in 
“Paper farmin’.” It’s a good deal harder to saw off a 
stump close to the ground than it is a log of the same 
size, lying on a skid way. I did, once, help another 
man saw six cords in eight hours. The logs were of 
fair size and in a handy position. (I did not do any¬ 
thing next day, being too stiff). Now, Mr. Pierce, 
“my boys” want to know if 10 cords per day “ain’t 
too much wood.” 
E. C. Gillett wants a man that he can trust to leave 
some things to his judgment. Good ! Always where 
it is possible, give a boy or man a chance to exercise 
his power of decision, observation and own opinion. 
He will be better help. But he should be taught 
not to take responsibilities unasked. I set the harrow 
where I wanted it, and sent it out to harrow my pota¬ 
toes. The driver thought it would hurt them, and 
set it to run shallow. The weeds were not killed, 
and the whole work had to be done over. I wanted a 
certain field plowed deep. The plow drew hard, and 
thinking it too hard work for the team, “Ben” exer¬ 
cised his judgment, and turned out at 11 A. M. His 
course was commended, but had he set the plow to 
run shallow, I would have discharged him. There is 
a difference in the two cases. My orders are, “ If you 
think you are doing any injury, stop ; but never 
change and go on without informing me.” 
O. II. S.’s inquiry about buckwheat in a silo, makes 
me think of a question, “ Can I run in oat straw with 
the corn to help fill the silo ? ” My corn will not fill 
it; I intend to feed the straw. If the two are cut to¬ 
gether, will the eorn keep just as well ? A nt l will the 
THE PEACH BUSINESS IN DELAWARE. A SHIPPING SCENE. Fig. 199. 
